Phonetic Pronounciation Ratsnake Names

This article is a guide to the pronunciation of the scientific rat snake names. It is one thing to write these names but a different matter entirely to say them!!

This phonetic guide is by no means absolute; the pronunciation can vary greatly depending on dialect. All the sounds have been coordinated according to the use of modern Latin within science. Where part of the phonetics are written in capitals, this is the part of the word that is stressed.

Here are the phonetic pronunciations of some common ratsnake names:

Corn Snake: korn sneyk
Black Rat Snake: blak rat sneyk
Gray Rat Snake: gray rat sneyk

Texas Rat Snake: tek-sis rat sneyk
Eastern Rat Snake: ee-stern rat sneyk
Everglades Rat Snake: ev-er-glaydz rat sneyk

Baird’s Rat Snake: bairdz rat sneyk
Yellow Rat Snake: yel-oh rat sneyk
Red Rat Snake: red rat sneyk

Great Plains Rat Snake: grayt pleynz rat sneyk

These are approximate pronunciations and may vary depending on regional accents and dialects.

Bogertophis rosaliae	bo – gur – TOE – fiss	roe – SAH – lee
Bogertophis subocularis	bo – gur – TOE – fiss	sue – bok – yoo – LAH – riss

Coelognathus erythrurus	see – log – NAH – thus	airy – THROO – russ
Coelognathus flavolineatus	see – log – NAH – thus	flav – oh – lie – NEE- ah – tus
Coelognathus helena	see – log – NAH – thus	heh – lun – ah
Coelognathus radiatus	see – log – NAH – thus	ray – dee – AY – tus
Coelognathus subradiatus	see – log – NAH – thus	sub – ray – dee – AY – tus

Elaphe anomala	el – LAFF – ee	eh – nom – MAH – lah
Elaphe bella	el – LAFF – ee	BELL – ah
Elaphe bimaculata	el – LAFF – ee	bye – mack – yoo – LAY – tah
Elaphe carinata	el – LAFF – ee	kah – rin – AY – tah
Elaphe climacophora	el – LAFF – ee	klye – ma – ko – FOR – ah
Elaphe davidi	el – LAFF – ee	day – VID – eye
Elaphe dione	el – LAFF – ee	dye – ON – ee
Elaphe quadrivirgata	el – LAFF – ee	kwad – ree – vear – GAY – tah
Elaphe quatuorlineata	el – LAFF – ee	kwoor – tor – lie – nee- AH – ta
Elaphe sauromates	el – LAFF – ee	saw – roe – MAY – tees
Elaphe schrencki	el – LAFF – ee	SHREN – kye

Euprepiophis conspicillatus	yoo – pree – pye – OH – fiss	kon – spy – see – LAH – tus
Euprepiophis mandarinus	yoo – pree – pye – OH – fiss	man – DAH – rin – us
Euprepiophis perlaceus	yoo – pree – pye – OH – fiss	per – LAY – see – us

Gonyosoma frenatum	g – own – yo – SO – ma	free – NAY – tum
Gonyosoma janseni	g – own – yo – SO – ma	yan – SON – eye
Gonyosoma oxycephalum	g – own – yo – SO – ma	ox – see – sef – FAY – lum
Gonyosoma prasinum	g – own – yo – SO – ma	prah – SEEN – um

Oocatochus rufordorsatus	ooh – kay – TOKE – us	roo – for – dor – SAY – tus

Oreocrytophis porphyraceus	or – ee – oh – kry – TOE – fiss	poor – fye – RAY – see – us

Orthriophis cantoris	OR – three – oh – fiss	cant – OR – iss
Orthriophis hodgsoni	OR – three – oh – fiss	hodge – SUN- eye
Orthriophis moellendorfii	OR – three – oh – fiss	muh – well – en – DORF – ee – eye
Orthriophis taeniurus	OR – three – oh – fiss	tee – NIGH – yer – us

Pantherophis bairdi	pan – tha – RO – fiss	bared – eye
Pantherophis emoyri	pan – tha – RO – fiss	em – OR – eye
Pantherophis gutattus	pan – tha – RO – fiss	GOO – tat – tus
Pantherophis obsoletus	pan – tha – RO – fiss	ob – so – LEE- tus
Pantherophis vulpinus	pan – tha – RO – fiss	vull – PYE – nus

Pseudelaphe flavirufa	sood – el – LAFF – ee	flay – veer – ROO – fah

Rhinechis scalaris	rin – EH – kiss	ska – LAY – ris

Senticolis triaspis	sen – TIK – ol – iss	TRY – asp – piss

Zamenis hohenackeri	zay – MEN – iss	HO – hun – nak – eer – rye
Zamenis longissimus	zay – MEN – iss	long – iss – EE – mus
Zamenis percisus	zay – MEN – iss	purs – EE – us
Zamenis situla	zay – MEN – iss	sigh – TOO- lah